It's no secret the Los Angeles Lakers will be looking to make upgrades to its roster this offseason.
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The agenda seems relatively clear at this point. The center position must be upgraded in a substantial way. The Minnesota Timberwolves absolutely obliterated the Lakers in the first round of this year's playoffs by pummeling JJ Redick's team on the boards.
When Rudy Gobert is made to resemble a prime Wilt Chamberlain, substantial changes must be made to address rebounding and rim-protection woes.
Secondly, a quality wing is something the Lakers hope to procure. Ideally, this player will be more of a swingman with good athleticism, effective defensive chops, and postseason experience. This archetype won't be easy to acquire — though one player seemingly checking all of those boxes is Andrew Wiggins.
"Claxton and Wiggins are the best realistic players the Lakers could get for each of their two big holes."
Via @jovanbuha pic.twitter.com/OU7Ezi42LE— Playoff LAL (@PlayoffLAL) June 14, 2025
Recently on his podcast, longtime NBA pundit Jovan Buha said as much when theorizing that Wiggins (and Brooklyn center Nic Claxton) would be perfect fits in this capacity.
The Wiggins fit is an interesting one. The 30-year-old is on the books with the Miami Heat for roughly $28 million this year. In 2026-27, Wiggins has a player option worth $30.1 million. He averaged 18.0 PPG a year ago on 44.8 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from three.
While he was not billed as a good shooter coming into the NBA, Wiggins has developed into a decent-to-good three-point shooter over the last six seasons.
Athletically, Wiggins is more of a true wing as opposed to Rui Hachimura masquerading as a small forward when his best position is likely at the four (where LeBron James also plays). While positionless basketball is real, the Lakers don't have a 6-foot-8-inch athlete in their prime who can adequately take on the challenge of defending the opposition's best wings.
Dorian Finney-Smith is aging out of that role, Austin Reaves is not what anyone would consider to be a plus-defender, and Jordan Goodwin is not size-wise palatable in this regard.
Cobbling together a deal for Wiggins would likely involve Hachimura's salary along with some combination of Gabe Vincent or Jarred Vanderbilt. For a more impressive haul in return, which still features Wiggins and other pieces, Knecht and/or draft compensation would more than likely also have to be on the table.
From a pure fit standpoint, Wiggins does appear to be a solid pairing alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James — if for nothing else, he excels in transition, represents a defensive and athleticism upgrade, and also has past experience playing in meaningful basketball games.
